concept art
purchase day, raleigh, NC
opening day!
concept art
There once was a bus...
Hi, my name is Dustin, owner, operator, and founder of Green Bus Café. The story of the GBC began with a dream of combining my affinity for the 1960s and 70s, my love for coffee, and my aspiration to create a business that was environmentally responsible. At the time, I was an inspired vegan foodie and was passionate about cooking nutritious and healing food at home. The vision to open a food truck where I could serve these healthy, plant-based creations came to life while working within a field that left me overworked and unfulfilled.
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One perk of the job, however, was that it took me traveling around the world. I spent my free time exploring local coffee shops and would often romanticize the idea of working as a barista. My job was isolating, and I wanted so badly to be a part of something — to belong to a community. I watched baristas perform their craft while building genuine connections with their customers, loving what they do, and making people feel like they belong.
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I wanted to be a part of a community, to be an active contributor, and I felt the lifestyle of a barista would allow me to do that. The vision for a food truck started to evolve, and I began imagining something much more aligned. My dream car, for as long as I can remember, has always been the iconic Volkswagen bus. I started to daydream…why not create a mobile café out of one of those old VW buses instead of some boxy food truck? Dream job and dream car? Yes please!
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Fast forward: after months of scouring the internet for the right bus, I found the perfect one in January of 2020, and soon became its proud owner.
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The next step was transforming this vintage beauty into the Green Bus Café. For years, I had been fascinated by the van life movement that was circling the internet, so when it came time to start building out the bus, I decided to take a hands-on, DIY approach. I started consuming hundreds of hours of youtube videos and read an extensive amount of “how-to” blogs. Through trial and error, my burning willpower to follow through, and many, many espressos, things slowly began coming together.
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I laid wood flooring, reupholstered benches, navigated many mechanical issues, and learned more ways how NOT to do a plumbing job than I care to count!​After one year of working on this project full time, Green Bus Café became a licensed mobile food business in February of 2021.​
This journey has been nothing short of incredible—a rollercoaster of challenges, triumphs, and invaluable lessons. I've poured my heart and soul into every aspect of this business, and now, after all the blood, sweat, and tears, I'm incredibly proud to present to you Green Bus Café.